The moment the effect of Garott's Divine Ability dissipated, the first to make a move was actually Linley and Alissa.
With all the commanders of the enemy's army dead, Linley and Alissa went on an unstoppable rampage. Only made worse by the fact that the morale of the Eight Great Clans had dropped to an all-time low.
Not willing to be outdone by two of their newest members, Gisalson and the other leaders and elders all followed Linley and Alissa's lead.
Those who had come to leisurely watch the fall of the Four Divine Beasts Clan watched the one-sided massacre with their mouths agape - this was the last thing they expected to see!
It was abundantly clear that not only had the Four Divine Beasts Clan stabilised their position – they had effectively become one of, if not the top, Clan of the Infernal Realm.
When the battle ended, Dunnington could only sigh. Because of Garott's opening move – killing all the enemy commanders – the commanders of the Four Divine Beasts Clan were able to slaughter the seven-star fiends of their enemy's forces with ease, which in turn allowed their own seven-star fiends to focus on the six-star fiends, which in turn allowed their six-star fiends to focus on their enemy's five-star fiends. In the end, the Four Divine Beasts were able to end the massacre without losing a single of their own experts – a shocking feat that would undoubtedly go down in history.
Garott had just commanded Gisalson to organise the rest of the clan to collect their spoils of war when several overwhelming presences descended.
Ace hadn't been able to sense their presence, but all the Sovereigns of Destruction had been present to watch the battle, mainly out of idle curiosity, but after their performance, just about every one of them had been moved.
Ace wasn't surprised by the sudden appearance of several Sovereigns; Garott was a Paragon-level Apex Divine Beast; if there was anyone who deserved to be fought over by Sovereigns, it was him.
Unfortunately for them, Garott had already agreed to become Shinji's Emissary. When Shinji confirmed it, although disappointed, they quickly turned their attention to the other individuals who impressed them the most – Linley and Alissa.
Wodred, as the Chief Sovereign of Destruction, was the first to offer both Linley and Alissa a position as his Emissary. Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed.
It was in that moment that Linley revealed that his wife Yunaia was the granddaughter of one of the Lesser Sovereigns of Water – Ismarelda Qingya.
The name Ismarelda Qingya didn't ring a bell. Still, Wodred and the other Sovereigns present turned to Beirut, seemingly having immediately put two and two together. They all knew that Beirut had been the one to take the Sovereign Sparks of the four ancestors – it was that which sparked the feud between him and Augusta, which prevented his Sovereign clone from being allowed to leave his material plane.
For there to be a Sovereign they didn't know of; they could've only ascended using one of the Sovereign Sparks Beirut had acquired.
Seeing Beirut's nod of approval, they all sighed helplessly, understanding that Linley was also unavailable. They then turned to Alyssa, hoping she hadn't been snagged as well.
Alyssa was just about to respond when Beirut suddenly interjected. He said that Alyssa had become his Emissary.
Killian, Ace, Bebe, and the others were shocked as they had no idea when this had happened. Hell, even Alyssa was taken aback by the sudden development, but they all considered Beirut as an Elder to them, one who wouldn't steer them wrong, so none showed surprise on their face.
Thankfully, the conversation between the Sovereigns couldn't be heard by the masses, only by the Sovereigns and those the Sovereigns chose to allow. If not, everyone present would be stunned, speechless by the discovery that Beirut was actually a Sovereign.
Hearing Beirut's words, the Sovereigns looked at Alyssa as though to confirm his words. When Alyssa nodded, the remaining Sovereigns sighed. They were just about to take off when Garott stepped forward.
Facing the only woman of the group of Sovereigns, he bowed down and addressed her as Aunty Gitara.
He apologised for not having come to see her as soon as he returned to the Infernal Realm, but he needed to make sure his Clan was taken care of first – he had planned to visit her personally after everything settled down.
Gitara, AKA the Intermediate Sovereign of Destruction of the Redbud Continent, said no apology was necessary; she understood. It was just a shame he was met by Shinji and taken as his Emissary. She then added that Garott's father – the original Divine Black Tortoise and one of the previous Lesser Sovereigns of Earth would be proud of the man he'd become today.
Gitara wasn't just an Intermediate Sovereign of Destruction; she was also an old love interest of Garott's father. Unfortunately, Garott's father fell in love and married another woman, causing Gitara to distance herself from the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
It was for that reason that he wasn't surprised by Gitara's choice not to protect his Four Divine Beasts Clan, nor did he hold it against her.
Garott apologised but said he would make it up to her. Even if he couldn't be her Emissary, he knew someone else perfectly suited to her tastes.
He then pointed to Faye, who was standing calmly by Ace and the other Golden Sun Pirate. He said that Faye was an expert in the laws of Earth and was following the path of a Supreme Genius and that even though she was still only a Full God, she had the strength to rival a Seven Star Fiend.
Hearing that, Gitara, as well as the other Sovereigns present, turned to Faye in surprise. Their thoughts at that moment were all the same: "Since when do Supreme Geniuses grow on trees?"
Linley and Alyssa were shocking enough, but they could also tell that Wharton and Gates were following the path of a Supreme Genius as well, albeit nowhere near the same level as the previous two.
But now there was Faye as well, and for her to have the power of a seven-star fiend, the only way that would be possible was if she had fused a minimum of four mysteries and was well on her way to fusing her fifth.
Understanding the appeal of an expert like Faye, Gitara wasted no time in trying to recruit her.
Faye, not having expected it, was at a temporary loss for words when Ace decided to accept on her behalf.
He knew that Linley's ability to manipulate gravity with the freedom he currently could was because of a treasure he picked up during his travels called the Amethyst Soulstone. According to Beirut, it was a treasure that could only be given by an Apex Divine Beast called the Amethyst Godbeast.
As far as Beirut knew, there were only two of such beasts in existence; one was Gitara, and the other was her son – Reisgem. The only thing he didn't understand was why they would agree to give one to Linley, as they were incredibly valuable.
According to Beirut, after separating from her Soulstone, it would take a Sovereign like Gitara well over a million years to form a new one. And for her son, despite being an extremely powerful Commander-level expert, it was impossible for him to grow a new one after separating from his, not unless he first broke through to become a paragon.
Ace didn't know if Gitara would definitely be willing to part with another Amethyst Soulstone, but this was a huge opportunity for Faye. Not only was she an expert in the Laws of Earth, but most of her fighting style focused on her close combat and her masterful manipulation of Gravity – if she could get the Soulstone, it would be like giving wings to a tiger.
Hearing Ace's words, Faye snapped out of her daze and was just about to accept the offer when she suddenly hesitated.
Ever since Linley's battle with Ace, she had become extremely jealous of the treasure that allowed Linley to manipulate gravity with such freedom. Now that she had the opportunity to get it, she didn't want to let it pass her by, but she couldn't accept if it meant she wouldn't be allowed to enter the Planar War Between the Divine Planes of Light and Darkness.
Faye said that she could only accept if she were allowed to enter the upcoming Planar War. Gitara appeared taken aback but ultimately agreed, saying that her son would be entering as well so she could stay safe and enter with him when the time came.
After Gitara took Faye as her Emissary, Wodred looked closely at the rest of Ace's group. Realising that, aside from Leona, the rest were all Full Gods, a shocking thought came to mind as he asked if they were all following the path of a Supreme Genius.
When Ace nodded, aside from Shinji, the other six Sovereigns of Destruction couldn't help but look at the group in disbelief!
Unfortunately, before they could jump at the chance to recruit them to their respective sides, Beirut apologised but explained that the rest were all affiliated to a Sovereign already.
Once again, Ace, Wukong, Linley, and their respective groups didn't understand why Beirut said that, but they played their parts perfectly and didn't give anything away, even the ones that weren't directly related to one of the Sovereigns already.
Beirut's words seemed to cause a wave of frustration for the other five Sovereigns, especially those who felt like they had made a wasted trip. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do.
Although there were no strict rules put in place to prevent poaching the Emissary of another Sovereign, it was still frowned upon but more importantly, they could see how close they all were to each other. The chances of their poaching attempts bearing fruit were slim, and if they failed, it would only serve as a loss of face for themselves; as such, aside from Shinji and Gitara, the other five Sovereigns of Destruction disappeared, unable to humiliate themselves any longer.
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